Between Work and Play
by codegal
Summary: A partner for Mavericks & Associates, Grimmjow finds himself in need of an assistant when his current one takes maternity leave. Neliel is indeed the successful candidate, but with attraction flaring wildly between them... /full summary inside/
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Between Work and Play

**Author:** codegal

**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Don't own, don't sue.

**Summary:** A partner for Mavericks & Associates, Grimmjow finds himself in need of an assistant when his current one takes maternity leave. Neliel is indeed the successful candidate, but with attraction flaring wildly between them, can they keep a professional relationship? Or will it turn into something more?

**Author's Notes:** This is an idea that I had lurking in my mind for a while now. It's only now come into fruition as inspiration, sparked by the need to start the GrimmNel Challenge 2010. And so, here is my entry for the fanfiction category; the beginning is a bit slow and altogether boring, but I hope to pick up the pace in the next chapter.

Word Count: 1560.

…

The click of heels walking by the table caught Grimmjow's attention, his gaze running up the length of long legs to settle on the gentle sway of hips encased in a black pencil skirt. He let out a low whistle at the feminine display. "Damn, that should be kept under lock and key."

"Do you ever think about anything other than women?" A voice burst through his entrancement. Grimmjow looked up at his associate partner, Ulquiorra Cifer and shrugged with a grin.

"You know, I bet you wouldn't be half as sour if you thought about a woman every so often."

Ulquiorra sighed. "Its amazing how you get any work done. Perhaps that's why Mrs. Wilson is leaving you."

Grimmjow snorted and returned to his coffee, taking a sip before lifting the business report he'd been studying. "You know the woman got herself pregnant. That's why she's leaving."

Ulquiorra finished his sandwich and checked his watch as he rose from his seat. "I should get back to the office and look over the tenders for the proposed merger. By the way, why are you sitting in the foyer café for lunch?"

Grimmjow shrugged, not looking up from the business report. "Not that it's any of your business, but Emma needs the office to conduct the interviews for her replacement until she can return."

Grimmjow took another sip from his coffee, leaving Ulquiorra to his own devices. He scowled as he scanned over the review for the last quarter, noticing the falls in value of stock. He was going to have to go grease a few more monkey hands it seemed, set up a few meetings with potential stock buyers and take care of bringing their stock value back up to speed. Not to mention, he was going to have to have a talk with the general managers and review the work performances for the past three months.

He scowled to himself, running his hand through his hair. It looked as if it was going to be another long week up ahead. He can only imagine how troublesome this new assistant of his would be. He sincerely hoped that Emma was smart enough to pick someone who could withstand his bite; he wasn't in the mood for any simpering idiot.

…

"And have you had any previous experience in this line of work?"

Neliel nodded calmly, handing her interviewer the file that she had compiled of her resume, credentials and other important information. "I have, until recently, been an executive assistant for Spencers & Co. Corporation for the past six years. Although I loved the atmosphere and the people there, I felt that I wasn't being challenged enough, thus the reason for my being here. I believe that Mavericks & Associates would provide me with the sort of challenge that would help me further my abilities in the administration field."

Emma Wilson beamed happily at her interviewee before scanning her resume, flicking through the portfolio. After a minute, she smiled and handed the portfolio back. "I am quite impressed, Ms. Oderschvank, your credentials are most impressive. And when did you say you could commence working?"

Nel's eyes widened as she took in the meaning of Mrs. Wilson's words. She sat shocked for a second before a small smile crept on to her face. "I could start immediately, if that is what you would like?"

Emma nodded enthusiastically, rising to her feet awkwardly, her pregnant belly hindering her movements somewhat. Nel followed suit and she came around the desk to shake her hand. "Let me show you around the place, help you get familiarised with things for your start on Monday."

Nel nodded mutely, her mind already whirling at the fast pace with which everything was unfolding. She followed in Emma's wake as she exited out of the inner office, the sanctuary for her new boss, a Mr. Grimmjow Jaegerjacques. Emma led her to her new temporary desk that stood just beyond the doors to Mr. Jaegerjacques office and ushered for her to take the seat behind the desk.

"OK, this is where you'll be working from. Grimmjow usually likes to meet his clients and business associates outside of the office, so unannounced visitors aren't a common occurrence. Not to mention, Courtney, who mans the lobby reception desk downstairs, knows better than to let any Tom, Dick or Harry in."

Emma bent down and tapped a few keys on the keyboard and moved the mouse, clicking on an application. "This is Grimmjow's personal diary, where all his business meetings, dinners and functions are listed. Grimmjow never pays any attention to those sorts of things, so you're going to have to continue to remind him of his upcoming appointments."

She then pulled open one of the side drawers to the reception desk, pulling out an A4 hard cover diary. She opened up to one of the front pages. "Listed here are all the numbers to the assistants of Grimmjow's business associates, not to mention other useful numbers such as his favourite chinese takeout for those nights he stays behind late, though thankfully, they're few and far in-between. The numbers to Grimmjow's mobile, land line, other various reception and executive assistants have all been pre-programmed into the phone, so that all you have to do is press the corresponding speed dial number."

Nel nodded attentively, taking note of the things Emma was teaching her. Her head shot up at the sound of the outer doors sliding open. A teal haired man strode through, his gait cocky, sure, his hard gaze zooming in on her at once. She met his gaze and felt as if she had been slammed in the chest. His physical presence was like a forceful blow. She took in his hard jaw, the width of his shoulders, the build of his body, all wrapped up in an expensive suit. But rather than give the appearance of a classy man, she could sense the wild, untamed beast beneath the clothes, and she shivered slightly at the thought of uncovering that wildness.

She felt his eyes rove over her body, travel back up and then down again. She swallowed as her insides clenched, her body responding to his look of intimacy. She gritted her teeth. Now was not the time to be thinking this way! Her heart pounded as butterflies fluttered within her stomach and she watched, hypnotised, as his chiselled lips murmured a single word, what looked like 'legs' but she couldn't be too sure.

"What are you doing here?" Emma demanded, hands on hips as she straightened, jolting Nel out of the captivating spell she had been under. "I told you, I wanted this place for the interviews."

Grimmjow merely raised a brow. "It was either retreat to here or let the company image suffer as I strangled someone downstairs. Damn couldn't get any work done there." He paused, his piercing gaze flicking over to Nel again. "Who's this?"

Emma beamed and bounced on the balls of her feet. "This is Ms. Neliel Tu Oderschvank. She will be my replacement while I'm on maternity leave."

Nel held her hand out, and Grimmjow took it in a firm handshake, his hold lingering slightly, the warmth from his hand sending chills of awareness up her arm. "Pleased to meet you," Nel murmured demurely, her gaze not wavering from his.

He gave a crooked grin. "Likewise. Are you ready to take on the duties as my assistant?"

Nel nodded. "I am more than ready for the challenge. I am not new to this field, and so I believe I should make the transition without too much trouble."

"Good. I'm heading back to my office, unless you have any complaints?" He looked towards Emma, who shook her head. He nodded acknowledgement, and headed towards his office doors, tossing over his shoulder, "I'll stop by at your farewell later tonight. I have a few things I have to finish off."

Emma smiled and turned back to Nel. "Well, I'm sure that's it for now. I'll be in on Monday to help you get settled, but I'm sure you won't have any problems."

Nel could only nod dumbly. She didn't want to think too closely about her initial reaction to her new boss. She would deal with that later, in the safety of her home. It looked like Monday might not be as simple as she had first thought.

…

Grimmjow leaned back in his office chair, his hands braced behind his head as he thought of his new assistant.

She had been the owner of those pair of long legs that he had admired downstairs, and he couldn't help but remember the sway of her hips, how her skirt moulded to her round ass. He'd also noticed how big her breasts were, how the material of her blouse had stretched tight over them, and his fingers had itched to cup them, squeeze and suck them. Standing so close to her, he could smell her feminine scent, and had wanted to chase that scent with his tongue.

Never before had he been this wildly attracted to anyone, much less someone who worked for him. But it seemed that there was a first for everything, and Ms. Oderschvank was something he definitely want to explore in full.

He gave a smirk. This was going to be fun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** see previous chapter

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for the lovely reviews. :D Not to sure what to think about this particular chapter, am currently in a rut with my writing. I'm… having issues…of sorts. Anyway, big thanks to Eloni for her help. Your input is ever invaluable and I honestly don't know how I can ever write now without having you to brainstorm things with. XD

**Current Word Count:** 3,337.

…

She hadn't thought that he would play so much on her mind that weekend.

Nel had hoped that it had just been nerves from the interview that had caused that strong reaction to her new boss, to the utter masculinity that he exuded. But since Friday, thinking more on the automatic reaction she had had with Grimmjow made Nel think otherwise.

An office romance with the boss was certainly not a good thing, and Nel had hoped that she wouldn't have to spend all too much time in his company today so as to give herself more time to get over this weird attraction she had to him. Breathing more easily, Nel started to relax, thinking she had indeed solved the problem at work. Yet, several hours later, hanging up the phone after a call from Emma had her closing her eyes in mortification again.

Emma had to see her obstetrician first thing on Monday for a check-up, which meant she wouldn't be coming in at all. Which then meant that Nel would be all alone with Grimmjow. She swallowed nervously. _Don't think about it_, she admonished herself. She'd just have to make sure that she didn't give him any room to shock her as he did on Friday.

Monday found Nel dressed in a tailored black suit that accentuated her curves, her hair bound in a severe bun that gave off the image that she wanted for others to see, a woman dedicated to her work.

Though she wasn't due in the office until 7:30am, Nel arrived earlier than expected so she could go over the programs that Emma had showed her on Friday, wanting to get used to her new job as quickly as possible. She exchanged pleasantries with Courtney at the lobby reception desk, delighting in the friendly manner of the receptionist.

Heading to the executive floors, Nel entered the office and immediately headed to her desk, booting the computer. She looked around the room, noting the coffee maker in the corner, wondering if it was custom for Grimmjow to have a cup of coffee when he first arrived. Biting her lip, she decided to make some just on the off chance he did, and waited patiently at her desk as the smell of coffee brewing filled the room.

Opening Grimmjow's personal diary, she quickly scanned through today's meeting list, noting that he was free save for a seven o'clock dinner meeting scheduled for that evening. She sighed with relief; today looked to be a relatively simple day.

…

The first and most important discovery that Nel made about her boss was that he was wildly unpredictable.

At 9am, when he finally strolled into the office, Nel had murmured a quiet greeting, rising to her feet. He had raised a brow at her, heading straight to the coffee maker and downing a cup of straight black coffee. Nel winced at that, preferring cream and milk herself. He turned back to her then and gave a smirk, returning her greeting, his gaze travelling over her from head to foot. She stood stock still for his perusal before opening in a brisk manner.

"Your calendar is clear for today save for a dinner meeting with a one D. Crawford at 7pm. Is there anything that I can do for you this morning?"

He smirked at that. "Several things come to mind, yeah."

She raised her brow and simply waited. His smirk widened and he turned towards his office. "But that would be better left for another time."

The meaning of his words wasn't lost on Nel, and she moved quickly to sit back down at her desk, her face lowered as colour stained her cheeks. A few choice words and already he had her at a loss for words. Why did he have such a devastating effect on her like that? Shaking her head, she busied herself by fiddling with the different working programs, familiarising herself with everything. By noon, Nel was a lot more confident with her role in the office, and she looked worriedly at the closed door to Grimmjow's inner office. She hadn't heard a single peep from him since this morning, and she wasn't exactly sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Rising from her seat, she was preparing to knock on his door to see if he was in need of anything else, when her phone rang suddenly. Frowning thoughtfully, she lifted the receiver to her ear. "Jeaggerjacques' Office, Neliel Tu Oderschvank speaking."

"Hi Nel, it's Courtney. Just wanted to give a heads up that a Mr. Johnson is down at reception for his 12o'clock meeting with Mr. Jeaggerjacques. Would you like me to send him up?"

Nel's eyes widened, and she opened Grimmjow's personal diary again, seeing no such meeting listed. Asking Courtney to hold for a moment, she rose from her seat and knocked on Grimmjow's door. Hearing his grunt to enter, Nel did so quickly, speaking without preamble. "There's a certain Mr. Johnson down stairs who presumably has a meeting with you now? Since it wasn't listed in your diary, I wasn't sure what to do."

Grimmjow looked up from the papers of statistics he'd been studying, and the sight of him in glasses brought Nel to a stuttering stop. Logically, she had known that he would have to be quite intellectual to hold his current position, but being more preoccupied with the blatant sex appeal he oozed, this new side to him added to the enigma of the man, and Nel couldn't help but want to learn each and every complex layer of his character. He removed his glasses, pulling Nel from her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, forgot about that. Was supposed to tell you this morning I set something up during the weekend, but I guess something distracted me." He smirked at her and Nel willed herself not to respond, though she could feel the heat rising within her again. Nodding demurely, she murmured her understanding of the situation before returning to the phone. Advising Courtney to send the guest up, she headed to the elevators in the lobby of the executive offices and waited for Mr. Johnson to arrive.

He wasn't long in appearing, and Nel shook hands with him firmly before leading him to Grimmjow's office. She waited with an ear to the closed door of the office, and sprang to her feet half an hour later when they exited his office. Johnson clapped Grimmjow on the back, earning a non-committal grunt from Grimmjow before he exited from the office.

"Can we be expecting any more surprises today?" Nel asked coolly.

Grimmjow turned his gaze on her, and the corner of his mouth kicked up in a smirk. "Are you still mad I didn't tell you about our guest?"

"No, though I prefer to be prepared for all sorts of situations."

Grimmjow grinned all the more, and leaned against the doorjamb. "Heh, you're mad."

Nel reached for patience. "I can assure you that I am not. But if you would like me to run this office in an efficient manner, I will need to know of every detail so that I can plan accordingly."

He raised his brow. "Every detail?" He straightened from the door and moved closer towards her, sending an alarming shiver down Nel's spine. She stood her ground, careful to keep her face expressionless. He stood before her and couldn't help but widen his grin. No doubt about it, Emma had chosen well, his new assistant was not a simpering idiot. He brought up a hard, calloused hand and grasped her chin in a firm grip. "Don't worry about that, I'll keep you apprised of every single detail, Neliel."

He leaned down and covered her mouth with his.

All thought fled from her mind as his hard, firm lips covered hers, his mouth coaxing, his tongue sliding along her closed lips, seeking entrance. Thrown off guard, her lips parted instinctively, and he swept in, his tongue playing lazily with hers, tasting her, arousing her effortlessly. Heat poured through her, her hands coming up to clamp around the wrist of the hand that held her captive, and Nel wasn't sure if she was moving to push him away or pull him closer. He deepened the kiss, his mouth slanting over hers again and again, sending a delicious thrill through her.

When Nel was contemplating what it would be like to taste the rest of his body, cold dread ran through her, and she stiffened against him, her hands coming up to push against his hard chest. Grunting, Grimmjow released her chin, stepping back, and she stood there breathing hard, her face hectic with colour. He raised a brow, "something wrong?"

"Don't," her words came out low and shaky. "I'm not interested in an office fling. I don't want to give anyone any reason to drag my reputation through the dirt. This whole thing here is a really bad idea."

Unsmiling, Grimmjow stared at her. "Even though you're attracted to me?"

Nel closed her eyes. "I-I…can't deny that. But you don't stand to lose everything with a careless affair. And I'm not that kind of woman."

He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't used to being denied the things that he wanted, had in fact strove ruthlessly in his life for the very things that he didn't have. Nothing was unattainable for him. "There doesn't have to be a problem."

Nel shook her head, bewildered. "Spoken like a true executive. Of course there wouldn't be a problem here for you but I can't put myself in this kind of situation." She backed up a step and turned a helpless gaze to Grimmjow's hard one. She whispered her refusal again, as if the original one needed reinforcement. His jaw tightened, the muscles bunching and flexing before he growled and turned, entering into his office and slamming the door behind him.

She took a shaky breath when he left, her legs feeling as limp as noodles, and she grabbed blindly for her purse. She needed to get out of there, needed to take refuge somewhere and regain her composure. She wanted to laugh at her idiocy. Despite all the admonitions she'd given herself during the weekend, she'd let him slip under her guard. That one kiss, devastating in its sensual power had almost brought her to her knees. As she exited the office for lunch, a blatant truth flashed through her mind that had her shivering in alarm again.

If he ever kissed her again, no doubt about it, she wouldn't be able to refuse him a second time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** see previous chapters

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for the reviews, you guys are so awesome! Apologies if there's any grammatical mistakes, etc. I really rushed to get this posted. And huge thanks to masq and Eloni for helping me through writing this chapter. Hope you enjoy. :)

…

Over the next few months, Neliel maintained a strict professional relationship with her boss, keeping herself within a comfortable distance from Grimmjow at all times, always leaving an avenue of escape were things to become uncomfortable between the two of them. But since "The Incident", Grimmjow had not made any other moves towards her, though she didn't miss the way his eyes would rove over her hungrily each morning when he came in, his heated look singing her with the utter carnal desire she saw lying within him, then he would continue to his office and close the door, leaving Nel feeling both relieved and somewhat restless. Relieved because she genuinely enjoyed her job and wanted to keep it and her good reputation, but restless because her body wanted him to do to her the very things that she could see within his heated gazes, leaving Nel both flustered and frustrated.

She wasn't a promiscuous woman by nature, nor was she controlled by her passions or her emotions. And yet, for the first time in her life, here was this man that was threatening the very normalcy of her life. She sighed to herself as she stared over the list of appointments in Grimmjow's diary. The afternoon was cleared for the social gathering that the CEO Mavericks was holding to celebrate the 30th year of the running of the company. As the assistant of one of the Executives, it was required for her to be there to mingle with the clients, to familiarise herself with Grimmjow's clients especially.

Getting up, she strode hesitantly towards the closed door, pausing outside it for a few seconds before gathering her resolve and knocking on the door. She opened it as she heard his terse command to come in, "just checking if there was anything else you wanted from me before I leave."

Grimmjow paused from his perusal of his papers, peering at her from over his glasses. He leaned back in his chair as he gave her another one of those heated glances, her stomach filling with butterflies as she flushed with awareness. He was silent for a mere moment before grunting a negative reply and turning back to his papers. She nodded before closing the door, leaning weakly against it as she breathed deeply, trying to maintain her composure. She couldn't let herself give in, she was sure it would be a big mistake on her part.

…

Grimmjow stood amongst his associates and watched the gathering with disinterest.

He hated the social gatherings that he was forced to attend, choosing only to attend out of his feelings of indebtedness to Mavericks himself, the old man having been the only man willing to give his rascal self a try. He'd proven himself worthy of that chance as well, working his way through business school, cutting down the time of completion for his degree by half. His knack for numbers and thrill in the pressure of gaining a profit added had him striving by leaps and bounds to success, climbing the corporate ladder with relative ease, much to the pride of Mavericks who'd seen the raw potential in him.

It was for this reason only that Grimmjow tolerated the huge crowds and the senseless chatter. And, if Grimmjow were to be completely honest with himself, he'd admit that his assistant Nel factored highly into why he was there that evening as well.

The past couple of months had been torture for him. He wasn't particularly used to denying himself of the things he wanted, and having Nel was definitely high on his list. He was on the brink of going stark raving mad at having to constantly restrain himself from grabbing her in the mornings and just taking her on her work desk without any sort of finesse. But what kept him from doing just that was his own sense of pride. Grimmjow had never before had to beg for a woman's company, and no matter how much he lusted over Nel, he wasn't going to take her against her will. He'd rather have her soft and willing.

He glanced at his watch, noting that the party was about to officially begin, and she was still nowhere in sight. He thought it passing strange since Nel was usually quite prompt, running his office in an efficient time manner. He surveyed the crowd again, his eyes looking for his prim and proper leggy assistant. A tap on his shoulder had him turning around rather impatiently, only to be almost bowled over the appearance of the same leggy assistant he'd been looking for.

She had let her hair down, her hair falling like waves around her shoulders and down her back. Grimmjow couldn't help the primal surge of awareness that ran through him as he let his eyes travel over her form, the black sheathe of her dress clinging to her curves, teasing him, tantalising him. He barely suppressed a growl, his hands itching to discover just how silky her skin was underneath that dress.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had to settle a few things at home before I came."

Grimmjow simply raised a brow, his hand moving to gently grip her elbow. "Not that you are late."

Nel looked around the place with awe, taking in the dazzling lights and the extravagant people. "Mavericks certainly knows how to throw a party."

Grimmjow gave a non-committal sound, his eyes surveying the crowd again before being inexplicably drawn back to Nel. "You look good enough to eat," he murmured, his dark gaze not hiding the meaning of his words.

Nel took a sudden breath, as she looked up helplessly at her boss, a throbbing starting in her lower body. When she had dressed that evening, she had hoped that Grimmjow would find her attractive, but now seeing his look of raw hunger, Nel couldn't help but feel like Little Red Riding Hood, about to be eaten by the big bad wolf. She shivered, her gaze drawing downwards, her fingers tugging subconsciously at her dress. "I wasn't too sure if this was appropriate. Maybe I should go back home and change."

He tugged on her elbow, pulling her closer, the faint scent of her perfume reaching him then. "Its fine. The only improvement you could make with that dress was if you were to take it off."

She gave a small gasp, her face flushing, the image of his big, powerful body covering hers flashing through her mind, causing her nipples to tighten in sensual awareness. He hadn't missed it, not with him watching her so intently, and his eyes had slightly widened before narrowing again, a determined look coming over his face. Without saying a word, he wrapped his hand around her wrist, turned and started moving through the crowd, with Nel following in his wake.

They reached a hallway, and Grimmjow lead them to the end where a balcony was situated that overlooked a water fountain feature of the hotel. He didn't wait, simply placed her against the wall, braced his arms on either side of her and leant down and took her mouth, his lips moulding against hers. She wrapped her fingers around his wrists, thinking to try and push him away, but her body had other ideas, and she moaned as she moved to deepen the kiss, her lips parting for his tongue. He took advantage of the opening, his tongue sweeping inside to entangle with hers, a growl rising from his chest at her wanton display of pleasure.

His hands moved to roam her body, stroking her breasts and thumbing her nipples through the fabric, her lips parting as she moaned softly. Her hands stroked up his arms, her fingers digging into his shoulders as he caressed her breasts more, his mouth moving from her lips to her neck, and then down to the expanse of skin revealed by her dress.

She trembled as his calloused fingers stroked her bare skin, the sensation sending bolts of pleasure all throughout her body. He slipped one hand down the front of her dress and into her bra, cupping her full naked breast, squeezing and stroking it to aching fullness. She arched her back, shifting restlessly against him, and he gave a short bark of laughter as she moved against him. He crooned to her, his voice like velvet in the night. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll get to it in a bit."

He moved his other free hand down her body, drawing small circles with his fingers over her stomach, over one of her thighs before slipping beneath the hem of her dress to tease the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, stroking upwards until he felt the lace of her panties. He shuddered as he cupped her woman's mound, the heat of her searing his fingers, causing him to growl with appreciation.

She could feel her inner alarm bells going off, and she struggled, acting on those alarm bells instinctively, as the magnitude of what she was doing and whom she was doing it with finally hit home. The realization made her fight despite the pleasure that his touch wreaked. He was on the verge of shredding the flimsy lace, when Nel suddenly began to slap at him, her hands pushing and beating on his chest.

He had to shake his head to clear the fog of lust that surrounded it, stepping back even though his body raged at him to take and taste. He looked down at his assistant, a brow raised in confusion. "What the hell?"

"I can't, I just can't. Especially knowing that this could jeopardize my job, my career, everything that I've worked for. I-I just can't!"

Grimmjow was coldly furious, stepping back to put some distance between them, sorely tempted to shake the infuriating woman. He knew that the attraction wasn't just on his side, knew that she wanted him to, but couldn't understand why she wouldn't just give him what he wanted, what they both wanted. Surely she had worked long enough with him to figure out that he wasn't a monster, that he wouldn't fire her if all it amounted to was a heated turn in the sheets? He clenched his teeth, taking a few minutes to cool his ardor.

"Don't worry about that, sweetheart. I don't think I could get it up for someone who was so fucking indecisive anyway."

He turned then, and walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** see previous chapters

**Author's Notes:** Apologies for the late update. I've got this new resolution for my fanfics to update roughly about every week, as well as having the chapters at a minimum of 2000 words. So… I've accomplished those two requirements I've set for myself. Lets hope I can keep this going for the following weeks. : D

Also, thanks so much for the reviews! And yes, I think the ending is entirely lame. Sorry about that. XD

…

Nel was dreading going back to work on Monday.

All throughout the weekend, she had spent most of the time curled up in bed, her body aching at what she knew could have been a weekend of bliss, wanting so very much to pick up the phone and just give into her boss. But her own sense of pride and responsibility held her back, and she continued on as normal, dreading what would happen when she would see Grimmjow again.

Monday came around and she arrived earlier than usual, having not been able to sleep much the night before and thinking just to get the confrontation over and done with so she could return to a sense of normalcy. She tried to calm her nerves as she went about her usual morning routine, opening up Grimmjow's calendar diary, preparing the coffee, and checking her emails. She was surprised when she noticed an email from her boss sitting in her inbox without a subject line. Frowning, she clicked on the email, and read the short and direct message.

Grimmjow had gone on an emergency business trip out of town.

She was at once relieved and agitated. Relieved because she had a period of grace before the eventual confrontation between the two of them, yet agitated because she wasn't too sure if her nerves would get the best of her before that time of confrontation. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, figuring that there wasn't much that she could do, and she spent the day calling secretaries to reschedule meetings for a week's time.

If she had thought that Grimmjow's absence would prove a lessening of work, she quickly discovered that that wasn't the case. If anything, having Grimmjow away from the office meant the exact same amount of work, yet a more difficult undertaking as instructions from Grimmjow's brief emails was not the same as communicating face to face.

But she stayed diligent, completing the set tasks given each day, bringing her closer and closer to the day when she would see her boss again. Friday saw her booking a seat on an early morning flight for Grimmjow, arranging for a driver to collect him from the airport and bring him directly to Mavericks and Associates. She sat on edge during the hours of his flight, wondering what she could possibly say to him after last weekend, if things between them would ever return back to an even keel.

Grimmjow strode through the executive reception to his office around lunch time that same day, still annoyed at the level of incompetence he had had to deal with in one of their branch offices. The last thing he wanted today was to have to deal with any more excuses, and so his arrival at his office was quickly followed by a scowl and a quick retreat to his office. His scowl deepened as he took his seat, the quick glance at his Secretary showing none of the frustrations that he had experienced all week.

Damn the woman, he thought bitterly, noting how she had appeared more or less like her general self, calm and unmoved, seemingly unaffected by everything that had happened between them last weekend.

It pissed him off.

He hadn't been able to get the taste of her out of his mind. And the constant hunger for the rest of her had gnawed at him to the point where he was seriously contemplating going over to her place and just fucking the daylights out of her, to hell with denying himself. And when Mavericks rang him to tell of a problem in one of the offices in the west coast, he had jumped at that, thinking to immerse himself in work and get his mind off of her.

But much to his annoyance, he'd found that not even work or the distance of a continent could diminish the amount of time that he spent thinking of her. And it frustrated him to no end to see that Nel was definitely living up to the Ice Queen name that he had given her.

Well, fuck her, he thought sourly, snapping open his briefcase and taking out the papers that he'd been trying to read over on the flight back home. Better if he found someone else to slake his lusts on, God knew that there was an abundance of women who would welcome his attentions.

…

Over the next couple of weeks, Nel could feel herself coming apart at the seams.

Work became a trial, in which she would have to tiptoe on eggshells around Grimmjow's temper, careful to keep her distance since it seemed to ignite at the slightest thing. She started keeping longer hours as Grimmjow took on more and more clients, held more and more meetings and business dinners with potential partners that she had to make arrangements for.

Coming home at nine, she had little time to take care of her responsibilities, to take care of herself, to sleep. Before she knew it, it would be morning, and she would have to get up again and start over again, pushing herself to make it through the day.

It was inevitable that she would fall ill.

It started off as a head cold, her head and nose becoming stuffy, making her irritable. She had fought it, taking some over the counter medicine and continuing, and it had seemed that she was gaining the upper hand, the pounding headache residing enough for her to complete the day's work and blissfully head home for a long soak in the tub, which helped to clear her head.

But on the following day, she found herself bent over the toilet, her stomach heaving though there was nothing that came up. She rinsed her mouth before popping a thermometer into her mouth, waiting for the beep to indicate that it was finished with taking her reading. Thirty-nine point eight.

Great, she thought miserably. She had the flu.

Crawling back into bed, her body racked with chills, she buried herself under the covers, willing the flu to go away. The thought that she should take care of her responsibilities and give Grimmjow a call flitted through her mind before she sank into a restless sleep.

…

His office was closed.

Grimmjow paused and frowned at that, glancing at his wristwatch. It was now after nine, and Nel was nowhere in sight. He fished out his keys and unlocked the doors leading to his office, pausing to take in the stillness of everything. He moved to her desk, looking around her work area for any clue as to why she wasn't already in the office. Not finding a single thing, he picked up her phone, dialing the extension to security, asking them if Nel had come in this morning.

"Ms. Oderschvank hasn't swiped her access card at all this morning, sir."

Grunting, he hung up the phone, his brow furrowing as he looked around the office. Nel wasn't the type of person to be tardy, or miss a day of work at that without having contacted him. He knew he'd been keeping longer hours lately, but she hadn't said a word, continuing in her calm manner as she arranged restaurant booking, meeting appointments and the likes.

He decided to give her some time to come in. Perhaps she was sleeping in, there was a first for everything. Heading to his office, he sat down to read over his papers.

An hour later, he was ready to pull out his hair. Between the phone ringing incessantly and needing to schedule appointments and meetings with business partners, it was difficult for him to get any work done, making him realize how fully reliant on Nel he was. She'd yet to call and explain her whereabouts, which aggravated him to no end. He gritted his teeth, deciding to bear with it a little bit longer, but the ringing of Nel's phone had him growling again. He grabbed his keys and resolutely strode out his office doors.

He was intent on finding that infernal woman of his.

…

It had taken some time for Grimmjow to find her place.

He'd known where she'd lived from glancing at the information in her resume, but he hadn't realised just how far she had to travel until he physically travelled it himself. And the fact that she caught public transport, which took longer than driving had him frowning even moreso, especially considering the late hours they had been keeping.

He parked on the side of the road, right outside her apartment complex, and headed towards her apartment. The building was nice enough and moderately furnished, though it was leagues away from his own place. He took the stairs to the first level, found her apartment and banged on the door.

There was no answer.

He pounded on the door again, and this time, he could hear shuffling inside, but still no answer. Gritting his teeth, he pounded on the door again. Was she avoiding him? Finally, there was a hesitant answer from behind the door, and his brows rose at the sound of a little child's voice from within. "Who is it?"

"Uh, its Grimmjow. Is Nel there? I'm her boss."

There was some whispering behind the door but it remained close. "What do you want? Nel can't see you."

"She's gonna have to see me because she didn't turn up at work today, and that makes me very angry."

A sound of alarm echoed through the door. "Please don't be mad at Nel."

Grimmjow reached for patience, something he admittedly was foreign to. "Just open the door and I won't get angry at Nel. I just want to talk to her."

"Nel told us not to open the door to strangers."

"I'm her boss, she knows me."

There was more whispering behind the door before it opened a tiny bit. He peered through the door and noted two young boys, no more than ten years old standing with wary yet determined expressions on their faces. He raised an eyebrow at that. "Who are you brats?"

They spluttered in outrage, puffing their small chests as they folded their arms in front of them. The blond haired boy spoke up first. "We're not brats! We're Pesche and Dondochakka!"

The dark haired boy also spoke up, "yeah, don'cha know?"

Grimmjow fought a grin at their indignant expressions, turning to the business at hand instead. "Where's Nel?"

The two boys looked at each other worriedly before turning back to him. The blond one spoke up again. "She's not doing well. Can you help her?"

Alarmed, Grimmjow followed the two boys as they walked through the small apartment to a closed door towards the back of the place. The boys opened the door and led him into the small room, where he found Nel under a pile of covers, moaning as she shifted restlessly under the covers. The boys started to tear up. "We woke up and she was like this. Do you know what's wrong with her?"

Grimmjow swore under his breath, moving to sit by the side of her bed. He placed his hand against her forehead, grimacing at how hot she was, at the perspiration on her face. No doubt about it, she had the flu. Grimmjow looked around the place, glancing at the two boys before looking back at the occupant on the bed. It couldn't be helped. If he wanted his Secretary to get back to work, he had no other option left to him but to help her get better.

He looked around the place again, and despite how nice and homey the apartment looked, Grimmjow couldn't deny how limited the space was. He sighed, there was nothing left to it.

Looking at the boys, he issued them their orders, "grab your things, I'm gonna help Nel get better."

…

Grimmjow left the boys in the kitchen as they ate some breakfast and watched some TV as he carried Nel upstairs. There were a few guestrooms upstairs, but Grimmjow rejected the idea of putting her in any other room but his own. He deposited her in his bed, and a moment of fierce possessiveness passed through him at the sight of him in his bed. Granted, it wasn't exactly how he would have imagined it, but she was there all the same, and he planned to keep her in it.

He headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, grunting at the sight of the two boys still fixated to the TV screen, before heading back to the room with the medicine that he had brought on the way to his house, mashing the tablet into tiny pieces and coaxing her to take them with a sip of water.

The hours passed with Grimmjow watching over her, alternating between placing a cup of water and a cup of tea to her lips every time she surfaced from her feverish haze. It wasn't til the following afternoon that the fever began to break, and she gained enough lucidity to ask where she was. Grimmjow had answered her gruffly, and was surprised when she opened her eyes to look at him, her gaze direct.

"I'm glad," she whispered, before she nodded off again, and he was left wondering, not for the first time, just where exactly it was that he stood with her. She slept til morning, and the next time she woke, Grimmjow himself had dozed off beside her on the bed. Nel shifted slightly, a soft moaning leaving her lips as her sore muscles protested at the movement. Grimmjow woke at the sound, sitting up quickly in the bed to look down at his charge.

"So you're awake."

"Yes," she hoarsely whispered, grimacing at how tight her throat felt. "Where are my nephews?"

"Those two little boys?"

She nodded desperately. He was quick to reassure her, "they're fine. They're in their room."

"Do you have any water?"

He nodded, passing her the glass on the nightstand. She could only drink it at a trickle, for it was a chore to swallow, but it was enough for her, and she gratefully handed the glass back. She leant back against her pillows, watching him beneath her lashes, a charged silence settling in between them.

"Thank you," she said, finally breaking the silence.

Grimmjow grunted. "Don't worry about it."

"Really, you didn't have to do any of this, especially considering… well, I just wanted to say thank you. I mean it."

Grimmjow watched her silently. "Just answer me one question. Are you afraid of me?"

Nel ducked her head, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around her legs. "No—yes. I'm afraid at what would happen to me once I decide to give in to you. I don't think I would be able to survive an entanglement with you. And… it's not just me that I have to think of. I've got to think of my two nephews and everything and… I just don't want to get involved in a messy situation."

He brooded over her answer, staying quiet for a long time. Finally, he gave her a gruff reply. "Then it's a good thing for you that I never let go of what is mine."


End file.
